After Everything Has Changed
by fireflycatching
Summary: Who knew that the bonds they created while they were in high school would haunt them for so long? But there they were, back in Lima, Ohio. A story about Santana, Finn, Quinn and Puck. In progress.
1. Strangers?

The town that we could call our own

The first thing Noah Puckerman noticed when he entered the town of Lima, were the billboards. When Noah was young, graphitti covered the succulent junk food posters that welcome you to that insignificant town of Ohio. But now, Lima was looking quite sophisticated; the billboards showed banks, Japanese restaurants and travelling agencies. It looked awfully posh next to the newly built and extremely expensive apartments in the citycenter.

His band had broken up about 3 weeks ago. They had raw talent, but no ambition. They were just a bunch of bored losers singing about how much they missed their reckless car-stealer cheerleader-banging days. They weren't going anywhere anyway.

Puck didn't know where to go, or who to call. But one thing did he know, he needed a drink, anywhere. No, actually not. He needed a freezing beer at Philly's bar.

When he got there, everything seemed out of place. Was he really that old? No, he wasn't. He was only 26. So why had everything changed so much. He hadn't even had time to settle, to think straight and start a new life.

A beautiful girl sat right next to him. Her hair was like a shiny black waterfall over her shoulders. She was wearing a basic blue T-shirt, black jeans and flipflops, but the way she moved made her look more elegant and unreachable than all the other girls in party dresses in the bar.

'Can I buy you a drink?' – Puck offered.

'I'm not thirsty.' – She replied. Her black eyes were glued to Puck's face, as if she was studying him. Then she smirked, while he looked marvelled at her.

'Come on. What's your name?' – He playfully asked.

'These days, I can't seem to remember' – She mysteriously added. 'I was hoping you could help me find out' – she whispered in his ear.

An hour later, not much conversation in between, Puck was lying down in her bed. She was kissing him so much he couldn't even breathe. It was good, Puck thought, to feel loved. Even if it meant breaking someone's heart. She didn't mind anyway. It had always been that way. Feelings must be left apart, they do you no good. That was why they couldn't be together. And it was why they couldn't be apart for very long, either. No matter who they dated, they could never be with someone like they were when they were together. It was complicated. She didn't understand. Better yet, she didn't want to understand. And knowing that there would always be that invisible line, that connexion that drew them back together haunted her.

- 'I missed this. I missed you. Every single day.' – Santana said before she fell asleep.


	2. The Boy With The Guitar

After everything has changed – 2

Quinn Fabray's bedroom was painted in bright orange. All over it, golden trophies of her cheerleading days shined, touched by the light of the bright sun outside. Nothing had changed. But she had. Quinn's hair now went down to her waist, and it was looking especially golden after two hours of tanning in the garden. She was a woman now, and quite an indecisive one. Some boxes were waiting by the door for her to pick them up and carry them to the guesthouse, where she was going to live for a while.

She hurried down the stairs. It was September 9th, and she had already started giving classes in Clark Kindergarden, right next to William Mckinley High School, a place that surely brought her more memories. She was an English teacher, like she had always dreamed of. She would rather be teaching Literature to clever sixteen-year-olds who would pay interest to her and would even like to exchange novels with her. But no, her job was basically to read the tales of Little Miss Sunshine to a bunch of uninterested five-year-olds.

'You look beautiful, Quinnie. Did I tell you that Harriet Wellington's son is in your class? His name's Richard. Such a cute little boy. He's just like his daddy.' – Her mom told her while they had coffee in the kitchen.

'Yeah I know. Uh, mum, I should be leaving soon. I really have to arrive on time if I don't wanna lose this job'.

'Of course, sweetie. But one last thing. When was the last time you spoke to Finn?'

'You mean Finn Hudson. Like, my sophomore year boyfriend? What's up with him?'

'Well, I happen to know that Bailey, you know who that is right, Susie's daughter? Well, she kind of dumped the boy after a two-year relationship. For his cousin. They actually eloped to India together. Such a crazy story, all over Lima right now. It's what everyone's buzzing about'.

'So you want me to find out if it's true? Mom, I'm not in high school anymore' – Quinn said, partly to hide the fact that she was absolutely shocked with the whole thing. She hadn't heard from Finn since Nationals, and hadn't said a word to him since way before that. Who knew he would end up with Bailey Johnson? She used to hang out with Brittany Pierce. Quinn remembered her face. She was a little spoilt good-natured ginger girl. Didn't sound at all like Finn's type.

'Oh, no, dear! Of course not! I already know it's true. I just thought, now that you're back in town, after the _incident, _you're also ready to start over. You know, have a social life, meet new people. So I thought maybe you could go to Finn's and see how he's doing? You need to keep in touch with your old friends, Quinnie. They were always there for you, remember?'

She planned out in her head what she would say to him when she met him. He wouldn't hold a grudge by that time, and if he did, she probably wouldn't notice it. After all, they were adults. Grown adults. His new house was in a very peaceful neighbourhood. Maybe they would grab coffees and share some memories. It would be good for her. But why was she shaking so bad? She couldn't lie to herself; she had been waiting to see Finn again for a long time. Just talk to him. She wanted him to let her explain everything that happened during her sophomore year, all her regrets. She wanted to share her pain with him. Because he was Finn Hudson, the boy with the sweetest smile.

She daydreamed while she drove, and after found a place to park. But when she got out of her car, she saw a man a few streets down. He was wearing a denim shirt and brown trousers, and was carrying a guitar. Could it be? No, it couldn't. He was down in Florida, wasn't he? She wondered if she should run to him, say hi. Of all the people in the world, Noah Puckerman was the last she would expect to find there. He was further away now. Quinn reconsidered it. Her mind was mistaking her. It could really be anyone, literally anyone. She grabbed her notebook and made her way to the little classroom, that had already a particularly funny and not exactly pleasant smell. She smiled to herself when she understood the irony of the whole situation. Guess who ended up as a Lima loser after all?


	3. Green Tea and Show Choir Memories

The ringing of the bell made Finn look away from the TV and stand up for the first time since he'd woken up. That was what he liked about being a single adult. He could do whatever he pleased, and no one could pressure him into nothing. He was acting like he was all right, because in fact, he was. The fact that Bailey left couldn't have affected him less. When they were together, he kept looking for an excuse to tear them apart. So Finn cursed whoever had rang his bell that morning… I mean, afternoon. God knows how many hours he had spent on that couch. What was he to do? You can't miss your chance to watch a full-day _Friends _re-run.

He quickly put on a light green informal shirt and some light blue jeans. He reached out for the door, expecting one of his beer-drinking-while-football-match-watching friends or some annoying little scout girl with braces selling extremely sugared cookies. That was why when the opened the door, his eyes popped, his jaw dropped and his knees bent, while he managed to put himself together again.

Quinn was standing in front of him. The one and only Quinn Fabray. For an instant, they stared at each other without making a sound, analysing all the details in the other one's face. He stared into her big hazel eyes, greener than he remembered. Her hair was messily curly and long. She was wearing a little plaid red summer dress. She looked at his beard, and thought it made him look so much more attractive. His hair was longer than before. He was very thin, and not as muscular as he used to be. In front of her was a familiar and at the same type mysteriously different man.

They clumsily started a brief conversation and he let her into his home. Everything was in its place, thing that was impressive knowing any woman lived in that house anymore. While he went to his kitchen to make them some green tea, she stared at a picture on his wall.

Regionals. The girls wore grey dresses sparkling with glitter and the boys had black tuxedos with silver ties on. They looked dazzling, as if they were movie stars at a blockbuster premiere. Quinn still remembered the whole performance.

The stage was empty at first. Then, Noah Puckerman slowly walked to the centre of the stage, and started to play _Under The Bridge _by the RHCP. When the chorus came, Quinn and her boyfriend Sam Evans joined him on the stage. It was such a sweet song, and when it ended, Quinn grabbed the hands of the two boys, just before the whole glee club appeared behind them and light the stage with _Slice _by Five for Fighting. It all lead up to the final number, when Rachel and Finn had to drive everyone crazy with their version of _I don't wanna miss a thing. _But of course, Rachel wasn't there anymore. So Santana Lopez did the honours.

When Finn brought the green teas, he forced himself to talk to Quinn as much as he could. He had heard so many things about that girl. And in his dictionary, Fabray was always next to trouble. But for some queer reason, he needed her not to leave again.

'So, now that you're here, we should try to see each other more. Don't get me wrong. I just don't have many friends, you know. Friends worth trusting, that is. And, I know you've done bad things before, but I'm sure you have moved on now. I know I can trust you to be a good friend' – Finn said, and it was followed by a silence.

Quinn's smile faded away from her face from the first time since she had arrived to his house. She knew he'd bring it up. She knew there was nothing she could do to erase that from her past. Sophomore year had changed her life. But the victim of the whole situation was always herself. And anyway, how dare he be so honest? They'd been on speaking terms for... 3 hours. After 10 years.

'Bad things? Finn, I had a baby at sixteen. I thought, it would be over right now. It's been ten years. I've moved on. You should too. And anyway, it's not like I came here asking you for anything. I just wanted to know how you were. But if you're ready to put all of that behind, yes, we can be friends. But don't blame me for something I did ten years ago, and that I had all the right to do' – Quinn said with pure honesty, staring at his startled brown eyes. He was speechless.

'Of course, oh, I'm so sorry; I knew it would sound weird. I'm just confused, that's all. You've just… appeared here. But it's all right. It's great, you know. It can be like all times. We can hang out, and stuff. It would be cool to have you as a friend. You can count on me, and if you ever need to talk about it… You know, not Beth, the other thing.'

Quinn faked a smile, but inside she was unravelling. The other thing? Could he know? No, there's no way someone would have told Finn Hudson. But actually, there was. She was a stupid girl. Such a stupid girl, to think nobody would know about it. To try to hide her mistakes just to protect herself. Finn's sweet words made her want to stay, but she suddenly felt the urge to leave. To run away from it all. Again.

'What? I don't know what you're talking about. I should go. We can hang out soon. How about coffee on Saturday? – He nodded – Great then. Come pick me up at the guesthouse. But no compromises, yeah? Just come round in case you have nothing else to do. Take care, Hudson.'

She grabbed her Gucci bag and quickly ran out of the house. She hurried after her, but before he could think of his next move, she was gone. Quinn Fabray. The eternal mystery. Were the rumours he had heard true? He didn't know. He didn't care. Quinn was back in town and he felt like his life had some direction again. He wasn't in love or anything; he didn't want a relationship, for God's sake. But he wanted to get to the core and learn all the secrets of the girl with the fascinating eyes.


End file.
